This invention relates generally to video display systems and in particular embodiments to systems adapted to display video television programs.
The convergence of the television receiver and the personal computer has accelerated recently with the advent of the set top computer systems. These systems, sometimes called set top boxes, use a conventional analog television receiver as a display for a computer system. In some cases, the set top box sits on top of the television receiver. By combining the capabilities of a computer system and the television, the system may provide advanced television programming features such as electronic programming guides without requiring the user to incur any unnecessary costs for an additional monitor.
Digital format television broadcasts will be available soon. Currently, high definition television (HDTV) systems receive both digital and analog television broadcasts. The digital broadcasts may include one of the various formats of high definition television (HDTV).
However, at this time, monitors conventionally used with personal computer systems are generally adapted to analog formats. For example, with the Video Electronic Standard Association (VESA) standard an analog television broadcast signal is converted into a digital format in a computer system, and then back into an analog format which is then conveyed across a cable to a television receiver. (See Computer Display Timing Specification v. 1, Rev. 0.8 available at www.vesa.org/standard.html.) Unfortunately, this results in unnecessary conversion of data between analog and digital formats. These unnecessary conversions ultimately limit the bandwidth available for increasing the definition or resolution of the display. However, the widespread prevalence of the VESA connection standard has resulted in the continuing prevalence of analog formats.
As a result, many of the advantages of digital information have not yet been widely available in television receivers and especially those linked to processor-based systems. Thus, there is a continuing need for techniques for facilitating the display of digital format video information and particularly to the display of digital format television broadcast data.